THREE more chapters.

I clench my fists and turn away. I cannot. I cannot. I cannot.

I cannot do this?

No, I can do this. That's the sad thing. I can do what I have to. I just really don't want to.

What I can't do is look at him while I break his heart.

I close my eyes, just for an extra measure of safety, and keep my whole body firmly averted.

"No, Edward."

That's all it takes, those two words.

I am safely turned away, yet I can feel his pain, his disappointment, wavering in the air. It's part of the way we're connected, I suppose, on that deep and inherent level. I don't need to read his mind because of how well I know him.

I know him, despite his mysteries, despite his levels of oddness and intrigue, despite the unpredictable twists and turns in his personality, despite everything.

I love him.

And so I know who he is. I know he needs me with him. I know he loves me. I know he really is telling the truth, that despite all the odds to the contrary, he's somehow still in love with me, unexceptional me, average me- the me who can never deserve him, who needs him and not the other way around…

Yet he's here, and doesn't that prove he loves me?

I know he does. He would never leave me again. He wouldn't have the strength. And I'll never give him a reason to again- I know that doing this… can't make him leave me, can it? It wouldn't hurt him that much. Twenty more years aren't that long in the scope of forever.

Right?

He'll wait, won't he?

This hurts. This silent contemplation, waiting for an answer. And then it comes. He touches my shoulder softly and I turn to face him. His eyes are very gentle and soft, totally without the anger or even the hurt I predicted. Edward doesn't look betrayed. He just looks like he loves me…

And that's the only thing I ever want to see again.

He opens his mouth as if to say something, and then pauses. It takes him a few tries to frame the words the way he wants to. Finally, I hear the soft music of his voice.

"Bella… I'm sorry. For coming out here and asking you for this. It isn't fair to you, I know."

"How uncharacteristically perceptive of you, Edward," I retort before pausing to weigh the consequence. He laughs aloud.

"Thank you, love. I think."

"You're not mad at me? I mean… for this. I want to come with you but I can't. I can't do that to my family."

He closes his eyes. "Can I blame you for doing the right thing, for being stronger than I am?"

"Edward, you need to get out of here. Out of Volterra. I'm not supposed to be here, and I don't know what's going to happen to Alice if I don't get back soon."

"Now?"

"Now."

He turns away from me.

And then back. "Wait, Bella. Just one thing… may I come with you, to speak to Aro? May I stay with you for just that little while?"

He's begging me. And it's such a small thing. And I want more than anything to be with him, even if it's only for one more second.

"Yes… if I can get us in."

He positively grins. "Thank you, my love."

"My pleasure."

Suddenly light-hearted, he takes my hand and pulls me along with him. I speak, totally confidant, to the receptionist. "I'm coming in, Eleanor. Isabella Swan and mate. Alert Aro."

"You're not supposed… to…" she begins, haltingly.

I look at Edward, and he growls. The sound crackles over the intercom. The young woman gasps. "Come on in," she enthuses. As long as we don't kill her, I'm sure we'll be welcomed with open arms. They really need to find a less wimpy person for this job, or they'll find themselves murdered by werewolves in the night.

Well, it's not my problem. We brush past the girl, still hand in hand. He practically giggles. "This is kind of fun."

"What, endangering our lives?"

"No, breaking the rules. Bit of a rush, don't you think?"

I laugh too. "Now that we're together, maybe."

I pull him into a gray-walled stone room. Aro is waiting, of course. His hands are steepled contemplatively, his chin resting on his fingertips. "Why, hello, Isabella, Edward. What a lovely surprise!"

Is he insane, or just deeply strange? I sigh. "Hello, Aro."

"I don't recall inviting you into my city, young man. Not to be rude, of course."

Edward bows. "My apologies, sir. I was concerned about my fiancée. Can you blame me?"

His eyes glint. "You missed her this much? Enough to endanger your life, the life of your sister, her life?"

Edward does not raise his head. It's no longer a respectful gesture, but one of shame. "Yes. I did."

Aro grins and claps his hands, unable to restrain his enthusiasm. "Lovely!"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I am pleased to see the effectiveness of my experiment."

"Pardon?" Edward says.

"Isabella did not explain it to you?" I shake my head. "Very well, I shall. Your Bella is here, son of my friend, for a reason… a most particular reason. I have noticed that you two share… love. True. Strong. And exceptional. That you could overcome the call of her blood to love her in such a way, and to choose a human as your mate. Such things I have never seen. And yet… your happiness, an ending to the drama of your story, seemed close. Perilously close. So I took it open myself, young Edward, to play the villain, to add another chapter to your tale."

Edward grimaces. I can see the anger on his face. I'm not surprised at his response—it is the same as mine was. "A game, Aro?"

"A great and beautiful game." He smiles. "And now, my friend, you shall play another part in it. I'm terribly glad you joined us here today, because it gives me a whole new tale to tell."

"And that would be?"

Aro's smile grows exponentially. He is beaming positively now. "Well, you may recognize some of the players, young friends. Familiar faces, familiar places—a hometown, as it were, to be frank."

"You're talking in riddles, Aro," Edward snaps.

"I like riddles. Nearly as much as I like stories."

I shake my head. "What do you want from us?"

"I have bargaining pieces. I'd like to do this as civilly as possible… but I have play. I will get what I want, so you know. But please, if you would, allow us to participate in this discussion calmly, as friends."

"What bargaining pieces do you have?"

I look blankly at Edward. "Alice. He has Alice, and Jasper for that matter. Our siblings? They are completely at his mercy."

"Precisely, Isabella. Ah, I knew I liked you for a reason. You chose your mate wisely, Edward. This one is as sharp as a tack."

I smile faintly at the praise, merely a polite gesture. My years amidst the Volturi have hardened me a little. I'm not as… innocent… as I was. I can lie now, for instance—and not just with words. With gestures, and even with feelings, I make others believe me. "And so, Edward, we're going to do whatever he asks."

"Blackmail."

"Just so," I agree. "What do you want, Aro?"

The ancient vampire pulls his hands through his hair. He smiles thinly. "Well… it is not mere extortion. I have the ability to make your lives either much more or much less pleasant. So I would like, if you are amenable, to offer a deal."

"A deal?"

Edward's still holding tight to my fingers. All this time has not dulled my sensitivity to him. If anything it's become stronger during our separation. I feel my heart start again, a phantom beat replacing the one I lost, speeding faster and faster as he lifts my hand to his lips. "I will agree to most anything… if it does not involve further time apart from each other. We must stay together. Of course, we'll do the rest of the sentence… but beyond that, we'll not agree to any time without one another."

Aro grins. "You shall like this deal, then. What I'm offering you won't force you apart. As a matter of fact, do this for me, and we shall release Isabella, Jasper, and Alice… immediately after you fulfill this one qualification."

Qualification. I meet Edward's eyes. The words are familiar. There were qualifications, originally, to our marriage.

My change, for one. And… other things.

I'd blush at the thought if I were human.

We all saw how well that worked out, of course. I'm an unmarried virgin, and I was changed by the Volturi, not Edward.

I doubt Edward is any more eager than I am to have more qualifications in our lives. And yet we have so very little choice.

His eyes widen, and I see the decision being made as clearly as if my power in fact worked on him.

"What qualification?" Edward asks.

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